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Teens Rescued from Zumbro River

(ABC 6 News) -- Several area lakes and rivers are still higher than normal after last week's heavy rains. That can be dangerous, especially when that water gets too close to roads.

The water on the Zumbro River at Oxbow Park in Byron is slowly going back to normal. But on Friday night, the water was much higher, and two teenagers drove their car into that water, and barely made it out, before that car was swept away by the current.

"On the driver's side, I saw a head pop out of the driver's side window and she had crawled over the car, coming towards me" said Tim Buri, a park technician at Oxbow.

He saw the tail lights of the Ford Mustang convertible just after the car went into the water.

"As soon as they got their weight off the car, it was swept away," said Buri.

The sheriff's office is actually crediting Tim for helping the girls to safety.

"Act of God, that he was there to see it and witness it and make some calls and help coming and be there to get them some help. Obviously, he's a very alert manager out there. He's one of the best that I've ever seen in the business for watching this place," said Captain Scott Behrens, with the Olmsted County Sheriff's Office.

Both officials, and Tim, use one word to describe the girls; lucky.

"Could have been very dangerous. We're lucky we don't have two dead young ladies," said Captain Behrens.

"The car was teetering. They were lucky it didn't go sooner.

We talked to the 18-year-old driver of the car. She says it was a very scary incident, and she says she's thankful to the park employee who was there to help. Neither she, nor her friend were hurt.